Overview
Integrated Digital Mental Health Platform
Early identification, structured assessment, coordinated care, and long-term wellness promotion
RELIEF PLUS is a comprehensive digital mental health ecosystem designed to support early identification, structured assessment, risk stratification, counselling, referral, clinical care, continuity of care, and long-term wellness promotion.
Its primary focus is university and college students, while its architecture can be adapted for schools, workplaces, healthcare systems, and community mental health services.
The connected model
RELIEF PLUS follows a stepped-care, evidence-based, and multidimensional model. It integrates screening, psychodiagnostic assessment, clinical decision support, intervention, referral, follow-up, and wellness promotion within one connected digital ecosystem.
System
A connected architecture of digital tools and professional services.
01
Assessment and Care Services
People may enter RELIEF PLUS through counselling, assessment, wellness screening, an institution or a professional referral. The system then guides each person toward the least intensive appropriate support, with timely escalation when greater need or risk is identified.
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01
Digital Counselling Assistant
AI-supported guidance through empathic conversation, psychoeducation, coping strategies, problem-solving, risk screening and referral.
The Digital Counselling Assistant uses AI to provide an immediate, confidential starting point for people experiencing emotional distress or seeking mental health guidance. It provides evidence-informed support through empathic conversation, psychoeducation, coping strategies, problem-solving and referral. It is designed as a structured digital mental health assistant and does not replace a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist.
The conversation may explore mood, stress, anxiety, low mood, burnout, loneliness, sleep problems, examination or occupational pressure, relationship and family difficulties, substance-use concerns, coping and social support. Adaptive questions help the system understand the user’s concerns without making the interaction feel like a rigid questionnaire.
Support may include emotional validation, grounding, breathing and relaxation exercises, behavioural activation, cognitive reframing, problem clarification, goal setting, sleep guidance and a practical action plan. The user is also given clear information about warning signs and when professional help is needed.
When additional help is needed
When severe symptoms, functional decline, self-harm, suicidal thoughts or another urgent warning sign are detected, the system directs the user toward qualified human assessment and the appropriate crisis or emergency pathway. A structured summary may be added to the electronic record for authorised follow-up.
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02
Student Assessment
Scientific screening and risk stratification across stress, symptoms, psychosocial risk, resilience, functioning and urgent warning signs.
The Student Assessment is the scientific screening and risk-stratification component of RELIEF PLUS. It is intended for university, college and competitive-examination students and examines the student’s overall psychological situation rather than screening for only one disorder.
The Mental Health Assessment Scale for Students (MASS) assesses six connected areas: psychological stress, sources of stress, psychiatric symptoms, psychosocial risk factors, resilience and positivity, and functional impairment. Warning signs, self-harm and suicide risk are considered separately so that urgent concerns are not hidden by an overall score.
After completion, the platform converts responses into domain scores, applies predefined clinical and statistical rules, and generates an individual report. The report may describe strengths, vulnerabilities, priority concerns, level of risk and the most suitable next step. Screening supports clinical decisions but does not by itself establish a diagnosis.
Levels of need and their usual next steps Level of need Usual next step Low or mild Wellness education, self-management, lifestyle support or continued digital follow-up. Moderate Structured counselling or psychological support with planned reassessment. High Comprehensive psychiatric or other qualified professional evaluation. Critical Immediate human assessment and crisis or emergency referral. -
03
Adult Assessment
Screening and referral support for adults across community, workplace, primary-care, hospital-linked and institutional settings.
The Adult Assessment extends the RELIEF PLUS screening and referral pathway to adults in community, workplace, primary-care, hospital-linked and institutional settings. It is designed to identify psychological distress, psychosocial vulnerability and functional difficulties before they become more severe or remain hidden behind physical, occupational or family concerns.
The assessment may consider current psychological symptoms, life stressors, psychosocial risk, coping, protective factors and everyday functioning. Relevant areas may include work and financial pressure, family and relationship difficulties, physical health concerns, sleep, substance use, social support, daily routine, motivation, and the effect of symptoms on work and relationships.
The result may indicate a preliminary level of need and recommend an appropriate pathway, such as self-management and wellness support, AI-supported guidance, counselling, professional psychological or psychiatric review, or urgent human assessment. The assessment supports screening and risk stratification; it should not be presented as a stand-alone diagnostic instrument.
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04
ABDM, EMR and Home Care
Continuity between assessment, clinical records, treatment planning, professional care, follow-up and consented home-based monitoring.
This component connects assessment and referral with clinical care, documentation, follow-up and home-based monitoring. It forms the continuity layer of RELIEF PLUS, helping prevent a person’s assessment, treatment plan, progress and continuing support from becoming separated across different services.
Clinical record and continuing care
The Electronic Mental Health Record may be organised around four linked functions: initial clinical assessment; clinical documentation and treatment planning; follow-up and outcome monitoring; and home-based collaborative care. A clinician may receive a concise machine-generated summary before reviewing, editing and validating the permanent clinical record.
The record may include presenting concerns, relevant history, mental-status findings, risk assessment, diagnosis and formulation, treatment decisions, medications, psychological interventions, safety plans, referrals, adherence, treatment response, adverse effects, functioning and recovery. Structured documentation supports communication between authorised members of the care team and allows changes to be followed over time.
Follow-up may monitor symptoms, functioning, treatment adherence, coping, resilience and progress. Standardised measures and simple trend views can help clinicians identify improvement, inadequate response, deterioration or relapse. Review intervals should be based on clinical need rather than a single fixed schedule.
Where appropriate and consented, users or caregivers may contribute structured home observations about symptom recurrence, side effects, medication adherence, behaviour, daily functioning, safety and quality of life. This information supports earlier review and collaborative care but does not replace professional assessment.
Alerts, consent and governance
Predefined warning signs may notify the treating clinician or designated service. These may include suicidal ideation, self-harm, severe depression, psychotic symptoms, violence risk, rapid deterioration, medication non-adherence or marked functional decline. Alerts support clinical vigilance but do not make the final clinical decision.
The system may be designed for interoperability with India’s digital health ecosystem. Any public statement about ABDM compatibility, registration, certification, approval or live integration must reflect the exact verified status. Consent, confidentiality, role-based access, audit trails, data security, retention, emergency responsibilities and clinician oversight remain central to the service.
02
Wellness and Prevention Services
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01
Wellness Programme
Universal and personalised support for mental health literacy, resilience, healthy routines, self-management and continuing recovery.
The Wellness Programme uses a digital wellness companion to maintain regular contact, understand a person’s strengths and needs, recommend suitable activities, reinforce goals and follow progress over time.
Universal wellness content can support a broad population, while personalised pathways may respond to specific difficulties such as poor sleep, examination anxiety, loneliness, low motivation, emotional dysregulation or ineffective coping.
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02
Lifestyle Management
Practical guidance for coping, emotional regulation, sleep, physical activity, daily routines, motivation, relationships and digital well-being.
Lifestyle Management provides practical guidance that people can apply in everyday life. Topics may include stress management, coping skills, emotional regulation, resilience, sleep hygiene, physical activity, healthy routines, time management, study or work habits, digital well-being, communication, relationships, motivation, self-esteem, mindfulness, gratitude and self-discipline.
Content may be delivered through short written material, conversational guidance, audio, video, guided exercises, relaxation practices, behavioural activities, progress tracking and personalised feedback. The purpose is to help users build sustainable habits rather than simply receive information.
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03
Wellness Screening
A brief, non-diagnostic check-in focused on well-being, lifestyle, coping, resilience, daily functioning and protective factors.
Wellness Screening is a brief, non-diagnostic check-in focused on well-being, lifestyle, coping, resilience, daily functioning and protective factors. It helps a person recognise areas that may benefit from education, routine change or a structured wellness plan.
It can also identify when a person’s concerns would be better addressed through the Student Assessment, Adult Assessment, counselling or professional care.
Wellness connects with the wider care pathway. People with low or mild concerns may begin directly with wellness and lifestyle support. Meaningful distress, functional impairment or warning signs should lead into the relevant assessment, counselling or clinical pathway. Wellness therefore serves both as a preventive entry point and as continuing support after counselling or clinical treatment.
Guiding Principles
Evidence-based and culturally appropriate. The platform combines validated assessment methods, clinical guidance and accessible mental health education suited to the intended population.
Person-centred and stepped. Each user is guided toward the least intensive appropriate support, with escalation when symptoms, impairment or risk require professional care.
Safe and clinician-supported. Consent, confidentiality, crisis escalation and professional oversight remain central throughout the system.